Kylie Minogue wants thoughtless people to stop asking when she’ll have kids

As Kylie Minogue confirms she will perform at Glastonbury Festival, we remember one of her most powerful moments.

It’s official: Kylie Minogue will take to the stage for the Sunday afternoon Legend’s slot, following in the footsteps of Lionel Richie, Barry Gibb and Dolly Parton.

The news was announced on the morning of 19 December via the festival’s official Twitter account in a post which read: “We are delighted to announce that Kylie is finally bringing her show to Glastonbury.

“She’ll play the legendary Sunday afternoon slot at next year’s Festival. And we cannot wait.”

Of course, Minogue is beloved the whole world over, so this news went down an absolute storm. But the actress and singer isn’t famed solely for her successful showbiz career: she is also known for dishing out brilliant life advice and home truths, too.

Indeed, she made headlines in 2016 when she shared an important message with all those people who keep asking her if she’s planning on starting a family anytime soon: please, please stop it.

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Speaking to Sunday Times Magazine, Minogue reminded all those who felt obliged to grill her over her reproductive status that she was 36 years old when, in 2005, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The Australian pop star underwent radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and a partial mastectomy during her battle with the disease – and, in February 2006, she was given the all-clear.

“When cancer strikes, you really have to consider all of that,” said Minogue.

She went on to add that plenty of people have advised her that, in spite of all the fertility issues caused by chemotherapy and her more mature age, she has ‘options’. However, while she doesn’t doubt that they have good intentions, it’s still incredibly upsetting to have to discuss it.

“Trust me, there’s a point when the next person who says, ‘Well, there are so many options’, you want to scream,” said Minogue.

“Of course, it’s great there are options. It’s marvellous! But when you’re dealing with all the other stuff and things that you took for granted are taken away from you, it’s like, yes there are options, but…”

The singer didn’t have to finish; her meaning was absolutely implicit – people need to stop with their outrageous, intrusive, and insensitive questions about what should be a deeply personal subject. There are so many reasons why women may not have children; either they don’t want them, or can’t have them, or haven’t found the right person to have them with, or they are putting their career first.

Each reason is a valid as the last, because a woman’s reproductive choices are absolutely her own. We need to stop with the incessant quizzing, comments about the biological clock, and thoughtless attempts to “help” them find a means of starting a family of their own.

More importantly, we need to put an end to this deeply misogynist narrative that suggests a woman’s primary goal in life is to breed; it’s the 21st century now, people. It’s time to change the record already.

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Meanwhile Minogue, who has three nephews that she is “crazy” about, added that she has, of course, thought about how her life would be different if she had been able to have children of her own.

She said: “I guess you have those visions of, god, what would my child look like, be it a boy or a girl? What would I see of myself in them?

“That’s saddening, but I’ve thought about it for a long time and I’ve had to face that for a long time.”

Minogue was scheduled to headline the Worthy Farm event in 2005 but cancelled a month before as she battled breast cancer.

Glastonbury takes place from Wednesday June 26 to Sunday June 30 2019 at Worthy Farm in Somerset.

Image: Rex Features

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Kayleigh Dray

Kayleigh Dray is editor of Stylist.co.uk, where she chases after rogue apostrophes and specialises in films, comic books, feminism and television. On a weekend, you can usually find her drinking copious amounts of tea and playing boardgames with her friends.